Rówann had been surprised when Ella had introduced herself as Lass, but it had confirmed his suspicions. She had been magicked somehow and who knew how long it would be until it wore off. Still, it seemed some good had come of it as they now understood each other.

He had obliged her by getting the small bag from the tree and then placing it in his saddlebag. When they stopped for lunch, he intended to ask her what it was. For now, he was more concerned with getting far away from this camp.

The first part of the journey was easy. A charging Troll mother left an easy trail to follow, but soon he was once again trying to follow his own tracks. It was a little easier than tracking her to this place since he was used to traveling without leaving much sign of his passage. Now it wasn't an advantage. He needed to keep a firm grip on her with one arm, a hand on the reins with the other and his eyes on the ground to make sure they were headed in the right direction.

When he felt her moving within his arm, he assumed she was just trying to get comfortable as she had done before. To his surprise, he felt her hand gently grab his short beard and pull him down to meet her approaching face. Her lips met his, and for a second he was so astonished he didn't know what to do. Luckily his body did, and it reacted before his brain caught up. His arm crushed her closer to him and his lips claimed hers, kissing her back firmly.

Finally, his brain made sense of what was happening. She was trying to seduce him and damned if he was not letting her. Still what was wrong with a little bit of harmless fun? As long as it stayed harmless! He smiled to himself; it might be interesting to see just how far she would go. His kiss became firmer and more passionate, and then he allowed his tongue to slide out and gently run along her lips.

Ella found she liked the pressure of the big man's lips over her mouth, and when he ran his tongue over her lips, her heart rate quickened. Letting out a small gasp, she murmured, "Mmmmmm more...please!" Sighing, she tried to follow his example with her tongue. She slipped her small hand under his tartan and ran her fingers over his chest, wiggling again as she lifted her knee so she could turn a bit more. It slowly dawned on Rówann that the girl wasn't very experienced at kissing.

He realized she had been telling the truth when she had told him a bit about herself before they entered the forest. He couldn't make much sense out of her story then as well as now as he thought about it again. When in school, she had no time for boys or dating. She had her goals and that was studying to finish high school and go on to university. Between her many courses during the winter and summers spent on excavation sites, there had never been any time for men and all the drama that went with them. Not that she didn't have many guys lining up to ask her out, she always politely said she had no time to go out on dates. Her life was confusing to him, what with all the things she had told him. He shook his head realizing it was another land that he had taken her from. His mind went back to the much more satisfying job of kissing her.

As time went on their kisses became more heated, suddenly the same electrical surge Ella had felt when she had first put the Celtic pin in her hair happened again. This time it went through to Rówann linking their minds. He broke the kiss, frowned for a second before resuming it once more. Ella was too excited to care about the surge. She decided to bring her left leg up and over Bryce's neck so she wouldn't feel twisted like a pretzel. He loosened his arm so she could turn. With their lips still locked together she turned and straightened her leg. Gasping Ella broke the kiss as she started to slip down Bryce's shoulder. Rówann being in full lust now wasn't fast enough to catch her. He heard her hit the ground with a thud and cry out in pain.

He chided himself. He had been enjoying himself too much and had not been paying attention. Otherwise, he would have caught Ella way before she had slipped off of Bryce. It just went to show how long it had been since he had lain with a woman. Although he had never lacked for female companionship, lately he had been too busy to indulge in it. Now it only took the batting of an eye from a good looking lass, and he was all over her. Well, this lass anyways.

By the time he jumped off the horse and was on his knees beside the girl, his brain had cleared enough to ask, "Lass how bad are you hurt?" Bryce was a large horse, and she had fallen more than a few feet.

Ella looked up at Rówann with a sheepish grin and replied, "I'm fine really.” she gingerly rotated her ankle adding, “I admit it seems that I've twisted my ankle slightly. It should be fine in a few minutes.” At that moment Rowann looked up, he could hear the faint sounds of a babbling brook or possibly a waterfall. Scooping her up into his arms he stated,

"I think this would be a good time to have a rest and a bite of food while your pain eases." Marking this place in his mind so they could find the trail once more he headed towards the sound of the trickling water, commanding Bryce to follow.

As Rówann carried Ella towards the sounds of the water, he mulled over the feelings her kiss invoked in him. It was obvious she had not been with many men before. The poor lass hardly knew how to kiss, but that drew him to her even more. It just proved that behind her feisty exterior she was still pure of heart. He grinned, “Well maybe not all that pure if her performance on the horse was anything to go by. It's like she is two women in one!”

Ella had been happy to have Rówann carry her to the stream. If her ankle was going to stop throbbing she needed to stay off it for at least an hour or two. As he carried her she took the time to ponder about the electrical charge she had felt earlier when they first kissed so passionately. She didn't know how or why but it felt like she could almost read his mind now....almost. One thing she did know, she knew what he was feeling. He was radiating an overwhelming amount of lust for her at this moment. She felt a blush stain her cheeks.

A few minutes later, she felt a strong compulsion to touch him. The arm she had around his neck slid back enough so her hand could caress his neck. When he didn't object, she traced the edge of his ear with the tip of her finger. She grinned when she saw goose bumps form on his neck. He gave a low rumble from deep within his chest but kept on moving. Slipping her free hand under his tartan she could feel him vibrating as she happily continued to play with him. The sound of what they realized was falls was getting nearer.

Her hands stopped their caresses, when out of the blue a number popped into her head. She blinked in surprise as she said out loud, "Twenty seventeen....twenty seventeen! I wonder what that means?" Before any comments could be made he pushed some low hanging branches away and she saw to her delight a clearing with a picturesque pool fed by a small waterfall at the far side. There were even few white water lilies floating on the surface of the pool. The falls were surrounded by huge rocks. The rest of the pool was encircled by various kinds reed-like plants.

Standing while holding Ella in his arms, Rówann glanced around. Pure sunlight was reflected in a large, deep pool under a small waterfall. It drained away in a stream heading back into the dark forest. Ella forgot all about the odd number and murmured,

"How beautiful...I've never seen anything like it before." Rówann nodded in agreement, as he walked to the edge of the pool. He set Ella down upon some soft grass and moss,

“This looks like a perfect place to have a rest and some food.” He turned back to Bryce untied his saddlebags and set them beside the girl. She watched him, as he began to rummage through them. With a frown, he apologized,

"I'm sorry Lass I don't have much. Maybe a few small chunks of dried up cheese, a small crust of bread, and some pieces of salted meat. I hadna planned on staying in the forest this long.” He glanced into her green eyes adding, “At least we shan't go thirsty for this water looks pure and clean."

As Ella inspected the items he had set out, he took the opportunity to watch the expression on her face. He found her intriguing, to say the least. After a few moments, his eyes roamed over her nicely formed body. His breathing quickened so he looked away, surprised how she affected him so intensely.

Once Ella had finished looking over the items Rówann had set out, she laughed softly and replied, "Bring that small sack you got for me at the camp please. If I am right, I believe we have plenty of food.” When he handed her the sack she opened it and pulled out a full loaf of fresh crusty bread setting it down on some clean moss. He sniffed, it smelled like it had just come from the bake oven! He watched in fascination as she put her hand back inside and came up with a full wheel of fresh soft white cheese. At Rówann's shocked expression, Ella nodded as she explained,

"Finn the head Brownie broke off a piece of each of these every noon and evening and gave it to me along with some warm Atholl Brose and whatever the meat of the day was. I couldn't help but notice that every time he opened the sack there was a full loaf of bread and wheel of cheese. It has to be a magic of some sort. I think the trick is to always put some back and you will have a full amount each time you open it. Isn't that awesome?" She grinned up at his handsome face.

Rówann was surprised again with Ella. For her to have the presence of mind to grab it while they made their escape showed just how smart she really was. He knew his opinion of her was right, and again he thanked the god's that he had been led to her. He couldn't argue with her logic, with a low chuckle he had to note she did have a strange way of talking. He shrugged as he looked at the food. It looked like a feast and being famished both of them eat heartily. Ella made sure to put what was left over of the bread and cheese back into the sack. Fully sated they both lay back on the soft moss and groaned. The warm breeze and buzzing of insects had them soon dozing.

Rówann was the first to arouse. He quietly shifted so he didn't wake the girl. For the first time he was able to really take a good look at the girl he had taken. She was really a beauty from her dark locks to her small feet. Her face was oval shaped, her eyes had long black lashes. Her nose was pert and the lips he had tasted earlier were full. Her body was slender but had plenty of curves for any man. He couldn't seem to get enough of her and hoped soon to make her his. But for now it was good just to gaze at her.

He suddenly cocked his head and looked at the rippling waters of the pool. She was pretty filthy, he looked at himself acknowledging he wasn't much better. She made a small sound as she awoke. Stretching her arms above her head and smiled. Ella found Rówann gazing at himself with a frown. Wrinkling his nose, he stated, "After that excellent nap perhaps we should bathe before continuing on. Not only will we feel and smell better, but it might help ease your injury."

Ella stopped her stretching and nodded her head in total agreement before she glanced over to the pool. Still nodding her head she got up and limped the few feet to the clear water. You could see the stones on the bottom of the pool, it was that clear. She sat on a smooth flat rock, bent down and cupped her hands bringing it up to her mouth. Once her thirst was satisfied she took her sneakers off and dipped her feet in the cool water. She closed her eyes for a few moments enjoying the coolness between her toes.

Without looking at Rówann, she decided the water was too inviting. Pulling her rather dirty tattered dress up and over her head she dropped it, planning to wash it later, and slid into the pool wearing only her pink lace bra and matching panties. She got flashes of women in swim wear, and knew that where she came from, women wore skimpy apparel all the time when swimming.

As Ella swam in the cool refreshing water, she got another kind of flash. This time it was of a little girl screaming and jumping into a lake. There were trees all around, and she splashed water into an older boy's face. Moments later, it was gone. She pushed herself up until her head surfaced. Blinking she wondered what it could have meant. Memories of her life were coming back in bits and pieces.

Her wet hair felt heavy and had partly become undone; then she remembered the ancient pin. The image of the playing children was forgotten. Hoping she hadn't lost the pin, her hand went to the back of her head. She found it was firmly imbedded in the tangles of her hair like glue.

A few moments earlier Rówann had sat back and watched Ella, as she began to dip her feet in the pool and then openly eyed her as she pulled the dress over her head. His heart skipped a beat, as he got a good look at her curves. He was puzzled at her undergarments though. Never had he seen the like. They hugged her body and almost revealed more than they covered and were made of some transparent material. He once again felt his body strongly react to her. The pretty exotic colour of her undergarments only enhanced her allure for him.

He would have liked to examine them in more detail, but she slid into the water, and they were lost from sight. Taking that as a sign, he stood up and took off his claymore, then his upper wrap laying it on the ground beside it. Next was his belt with his dirk and finally his kilt. He wore nothing beneath it, and his well-muscled body was revealed in all it's glory. With not a hint of embarrassment, he walked into the water and began to swim a little into deeper water before ducking under.

He came up sputtering and wiped the water from his face and hair. Examining the edge of the pool, he smiled as he saw a particular plant and he swam over and picked a few before crushing one in his hands. A sweet lather gradually formed and he rubbed it in his hair and on his chest, before rinsing it off.

Ella sighed in relief that she hadn't lost the pin. She turned towards where she and Rówann had been having their meal. Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped. The big guy had been taking his clothes off, when she turned, and at that moment he had dropped his kilt onto the ground. Ella ogled his beautiful muscled nakedness from head to toes. She bit her bottom lip as he proudly walked into the pool. She couldn't help but whisper, "Oh my but he is big!", she backstroked a couple of feet in order to get her emotions under control. It wasn't everyday you got to see a huge well muscled naked man! She relaxed when he had dived and came up some ten feet away.

Approaching Ella, he showed her a couple of pieces. "Soap root," he explained. "Sweet smelling and will wash away some of the grime from the road," he grinned. "Just crush it in your hands and rub them together to form a lather." Again he did it to demonstrate for her and rubbed it down his arms. "If you have trouble I would be more then happy to help," he grinned again. She raised her eyebrow at him indicating she could do it herself. He stood and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ella was only too happy to take the plant from him and copy what he had shown her. She really needed a thorough wash. With all the fighting and dust and riding, then sitting on the ground at the camp, she was filthy. After having a good scrub, she planned to do the same to what was left of her dress.

She took the pin out of her hair and asked Rówann to hold it while she washed her hair. Once the pin left her fingers she felt a change, like something was lost. It was the closeness to the man beside her that was lost. Too intent on getting clean, she ignored the feeling. She soaped and rinsed her hair three times before she was satisfied. When she had finished the final rinse she took the pin back and wound up a small part of her hair sticking it in securely. The rest she left hanging down her back. Ella couldn't help noticing once the pin was back in her hair, things felt right again. She became conscious of Rówann's nearness....and his emotions once more.

As he patiently waited, she couldn't help but think, "I want him, but at the same time I'm afraid for some unknown reason. One minute I'm all over him the next pulling away. I do wish I could remember how I met him!"

Once Ella was finished washing her hair, Rówann handed her more pieces of the plant. She took it turned and swam over to the edge of the pool. Taking her time she lathered up her hands. Bending her head back she started at her throat running her hands down her chest to the edge of her bra. She quickly slipped one hand inside the cup and moved her hand over her breast and hardened nipple. Once done she did the same to the other one. Lathering up her hands again she smoothly ran them over her midriff and hips to her panties. Feeling a little embarrassed she hesitated before going onto her legs. Finally putting one foot on a nearby rock she bent down and started at her ankles working her way up. Then she did the other leg. Now she was slippery from head to toe, except for her back. She was aware of Rówann's gaze the whole time.

Turning towards the pool where Rówann stood transfixed she tilted her head and purred, "If your offer is still good you could wash my back. Of course, I would be happy to do the same for you." As he moved towards her, she became nervous again and added in a more practical voice, "Maybe afterward we can explore this pool. I've been wondering what lays behind the falls; there might even be a cave for all we know!"

Rówann had been spellbound as he watched Ella wash herself. He had expected her to remove her garments, and tell him to turn around while she bathed. Instead, she boldly lathered herself up in front of him by running her hands underneath her strange underwear. This caused her nipples to harden which he plainly saw through the thin fabric, and he was glad that he was standing in water more than waist deep. He kept watching as she continued onto her long slim legs.

He kept low in the water and detoured to get more plants to give himself more time to calm down, yet he was still at half mast when he approached her from behind. Still, he calmly crushed the plants and began to massage the lather into her back.

He couldn't believe how smooth and supple her skin was. Most women her age had been working in the fields for most of their lives and their skin felt tough. He wondered what she had done most of her life that her skin could still be so soft. She had to be some kind of lady, except she really didn't act like one.

Ella shivered, as Rówann washed her back. She seemed to do that whenever he came near her. She closed her eyes when he started to massage her, beginning at her shoulders slowly working down to her lower back. She couldn't stop herself from quietly moaning, "This is so heavenly..mmmm."

He took several minutes to carefully and gently massage her whole back before he moved away. "I think you are done now Lass," he said with a slight hitch in his voice. "Rinse yourself off while I go and get more soap-root." Ella nodded her head and dived under the surface a few feet and came up brushing off that last bit of lather off her arms.

She watched him head towards a clump of the plants that grew near the waterfall. As Rówann swam away, visions of Ella filled his mind. He had to swim a little further having exhausted the nearby supply of the root and as he swam over a deeper channel, he felt something brush his leg. Shrugging he ignored it. He was used to small fish brushing up against him in pools. Then he felt a hand grab his ankle and he was strongly pulled underwater.

Suddenly his head submerged beneath the water, his arms reaching upwards as if he was being pulled down by something. Ella frowned wondering what he was doing.

No matter how much he struggled, he could not get back to the surface. He felt his lungs burning for air. As he finally gave up, the last of the air escaped from his mouth, and his vision grew dim. He was amazed to see a beautiful face framed with long flowing golden hair above him. “So now I am hallucinating.” he thought, “Or the afterlife is as good as they say it is.” He watched as the light above him gradually grew dimmer and then he knew no more.